Free Starter Kit
Menu

Research

The research behind our videos.

We read the studies so you don't have to, and we try to be honest about what they do and don't show. That's why you'll hear us say "linked" and "odds," not "causes." Most of this research can show that two things go together. It usually can't prove that one causes the other.

Two phones charging on a hallway shelf at night outside a child's bedroom door, with a cat asleep nearby
Survey data
42% → 71%

smartphone ownership at age 10 vs. age 12

How many kids have a smartphone, and when?

Common Sense Media (2022). The Common Sense Census: Media Use by Tweens and Teens, 2021. Survey of 1,306 U.S. 8- to 18-year-olds, conducted September–October 2021; report published March 9, 2022. commonsensemedia.org

In plain language

In this national survey, 42% of 10-year-olds and 71% of 12-year-olds had their own smartphone. By 14 and older, about nine in ten did.

What it means for you

Getting a phone somewhere between 10 and 12 is common. But "common" describes what families are doing. It isn't a recommendation. It does tell you that if you want to wait, it helps to decide early and find other families.

Book
2024

#1 New York Times bestseller

The Anxious Generation

Haidt, J. (2024). The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness. New York: Penguin Press. Published March 26, 2024. anxiousgeneration.com

In plain language

Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt argues that childhood shifted from "play-based" to "phone-based" in the early 2010s, and that this shift is a major reason teen anxiety and depression rose so sharply. He proposes four new norms: no smartphones before high school, no social media before 16, phone-free schools, and far more independence and free play.

Our take

We love the play part, and it's where the name Wild Not Wired comes from. The book's title says "causing," and many researchers think the evidence is weaker than that. We don't use that word ourselves. See the review below.

Peer-reviewed study
100,000+

young adults aged 18–24, across the world

Getting a smartphone later is linked to better mental health as a young adult

Thiagarajan, T. C., Newson, J. J., & Swaminathan, S. (2025). Protecting the developing mind in a digital age: A global policy imperative. Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, 26(3), 493–504. Sapien Labs, Global Mind Project. doi.org/10.1080/19452829.2025.2518313

In plain language

Researchers asked more than 100,000 young adults when they got their first smartphone and measured their "mind health" today. The younger people were when they got their first smartphone, the lower their scores tended to be. Those who got one at 13 or older did best. Average scores fell from 30 for those who got a phone at 13 to 1 for those who got one at age five.

A big share of the link ran through early social media, cyberbullying, disrupted sleep and poorer family relationships.

Keep in mind

The data is self-reported and correlational, so it shows a link, not proof of cause, and the authors say so. Some outside experts have also questioned the study's methods.

For balance
Nature

critical review, March 2024

"The great rewiring": a skeptical review

Odgers, C. L. (2024). The great rewiring: is social media really behind an epidemic of teenage mental illness? Nature, 628(8006), 29–30. doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-00902-2

In plain language

Developmental psychologist Candice Odgers argues that the evidence doesn't show social media is rewiring kids' brains or causing a mental-health epidemic. She points out that many studies find small or mixed associations, and she worries that blaming phones could distract from other causes, like poverty, discrimination and a lack of mental-health care.

She also agrees that platforms need serious reform, and she thinks age-based bans may not work well in practice.

Why we include it

Because you deserve the whole picture, not just the half that agrees with us.

Not everyone agrees, and that's okay.

Researchers are still arguing about how much smartphones and social media are behind the rise in teen anxiety and depression. Some, like Haidt, see a major cause. Others, like Odgers, say the evidence is weak or mixed. Large studies like the Sapien Labs one find strong links, but links aren't proof.

Here's where we land. Waiting on a smartphone costs a family very little. More play, more sleep and more face-to-face friendship are good for kids no matter which side of the debate turns out to be right. So we'd rather give childhood the benefit of the doubt.

Spotted something we got wrong? Tell us at hello@wildnotwired.com and we'll fix it.